June 2016 – EPF Patient Empowerment Campaign

After 12 months of intense advocacy and public affairs work, the EPF Patient Empowerment Campaign came to a close in late June 2016. A true success that put empowerment at the centre of hey debates and mobilised fellow stakeholders to understand its key role in ensuring quality, sustainable health systems of the future.

Launched in May 2015 with an international conference, the one-year campaign on Patient Empowerment was an excellent platform for debates and exchange of ideas on this central topic for patients in Europe. Building on the work and materials produced in the first months, the focus in 2016 was on the political and social commitment, with a number of important deliverables and events.

In March, the Charter on Patient Empowerment was officially published! Drafted in concert with the EPF Working Group on Empowerment, it encapsulates the 10 fundamental principles of patient empowerment, from the patient’s perspective. Available in many languages, it soon became a mainstay of the campaign.

Following the publication of the Charter, the EPF Policy and Communications teams took the European Parliament to meet in face-to-face with MEPs, presenting the campaign and the Charter. The EPF delegation met with 11 MEPs from various countries and political parties, getting the message and calling for commitment.

From January, a strong impetus was given on the social media campaigning, with strategic posts and tweets, allowing the campaign to reach more than 2.2 million impressions on Twitter and Facebook, where the hashtag #PatientsprescribE was used more than 2000 times by almost 600 different users.

Finally, the campaign was officially concluded in June with two events at the European Parliament: a high-level policy roundtable drawing conclusions and ideas for future implementation; and a special exhibition during the European Health Parliament session, where goodies and fun activities were organised to mark the close of the official campaign.

More needs to be done, and surely the campaign is only the start of a momentum around this crucial topic. In the months to come, the EPF Working Group on Patient Empowerment will continue its work, reaping the dividends of the campaign.

Contact:

Laurent Louette, Communications Officer.